Janie's Got a Gun
by The Sound of Drums
Summary: Zach, the lead snare in the marching band, never seems to stay with a girl for long. But what happens when he finally falls for a girl who's exactly like him? Rating for some themes and language. Updates: Chapter 9. Now complete.
1. Arm Pits

**A/N: I do not own the title, for it is from the lyrics of the Aerosmith song by the same title. However, I DO own the characters in the story. The story starts out after the high school football game, where the home team won 35-7. The marching band people are all on their buses, and there is a surprise for one of the buses. Sorry I skipped the football game, as I normally will do in the future, for I'm horrible at writing those types of things. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 1: Arm Pits

"Unfortunately, this bus won't have any chaperones, due to our lack of volunteers." Mr. Johnson said, his words receiving loud cheers from the band. "But you still have to act as though there is one on here." At this he got off of the bus, climbing into his car. Zach rolled his eyes. "_Such a stupid band director__."_ He couldn't help but think.

Mr. Johnson obviously didn't know how Zach normally acted on two hour long bus trips. Then again, Mr. Johnson didn't know very much in general. Yes, he was a great band teacher, pushing his students to do their best. But he was clueless about the world outside of music. Like, for example, how the band acted whenever the football team had creamed the other team.

"Hey Zach!" a brunette girl squealed, sliding into the seat next to him.

"Hey Natalie." Zach said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We're all alone…"

"Minus the people in the front of the bus." She said, leaning in.

"They don't matter." Zach murmured, planting his lips on hers. He kissed gently at first, the started nibbling on her lip. Natalie practically sat there, numb, occasionally kissing back with inexperienced lips

"_Damn freshmen – they're such horrible kissers._" Zach thought. "_But she might be better at something else..._" Zach, along with everyone else, knew that no one in the lust department compared to color guard. Even if Natalie was half of what they normally were, Zach would be on cloud nine in no time.

Zach stopped kissing long enough for him to pull off his t-shirt. He gave Natalie a peck on the lips, then started pulling up her tank top.

"What are you doing?" she said, pulling it down back over herself.

"I want to see you without clothes." Zach said seductively, pushing up her skirt.

"No!" Natalie said, standing up quickly. "Just because you're a sophomore doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with me; I'm not a sex toy Zach!"

Zach sighed. "If you feel that way Natalie, I guess that's fine with me." He said.

"Really?" Natalie said, stunned. What happened to the sex god she agreed to date, just for that very purpose? "I'm okay with it, really. I just was surprised, that's-"

"We need to talk Natalie." Zach interrupted, suddenly serious. "I don't think this relationship's going to work out."

"I was just kidding Zach!" Natalie said, tears gathering in her blue eyes. "You're breaking up with me just because I didn't let you fuck me right away??"

"No." Zach said, smiling inside. Now was the time to deliver his favorite line. "You're just not my type of girl, that's all."

"Oh, I see." Natalie said, before breaking into heavy sobs. Her mascara ran down her face in thick black lines, and she got up. "I better go, before it gets awkward between-" Natalie stopped suddenly, running to the front of the bus where her friends were sitting. She slid into one of the seats, sobbing and Zach could see her friends nodding and patting Natalie sympathetically.

Now that that was over Zach scanned the bus for a new target. He felt no remorse for what he had done whatsoever, which didn't bother him the slightest.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

"My poor Asian buddy." Lily said, giving Natalie a hug.

"Asian buddy?" Sarah asked, confused. Natalie certainly didn't look Asian to her

"It's a long story Sarah, don't attempt to catch up." Lily said, rolling her eyes

"We've only been going out a few days!" Natalie sobbed, repeating the phrase for what had seemed like the 100th time.

"Have you noticed how he's gone out or hooked up with every girl in color guard?" Amanda asked.

"And the trumpets." Corinne added.

"Hell, every girl in band," Samantha said, "Me included."

"He hasn't touched pit yet." A voice came from the row behind them. The five of them turned around, and groaned.

"Oh, hello Janie." Sarah said coldly. Janie, like the 5 of them, was a freshman, but was disliked by most everyone outside of pit and Drumline. As to why, Janie was clueless, but others viewed her as the female equivalent of Zach.

"And a very warm hello back to you too." Janie replied sarcastically. "But seriously, Zach hasn't laid a hand on pit yet."

"Then your lot will be next, I'm sure." Amanda said. "And after he's done he'll go a second time around the band."

"Unless pit stops him in his tracks." Janie said, eyes glinting. A small smile pulled on the edge of her lips.

"What are you suggesting?" Natalie asked, suddenly interested.

"I call it… Plan Z."

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think of the beginning of my first ever fan-fic? Please review! Chapter two coming soon...**


	2. Hook, Line, and Sinker

**A/N: Got the second chapter out sooner then I thought! And the title of the first chapter is what it is because Janie is in pit, hence the term 'arm pit'. Not the best, I know, but you'll live, I'm sure.  
**

* * *

Chapter 2: Hook, Line, and Sinker

Zach scanned the bus with brown eyes, looking for a new girlfriend. He absentmindedly noticed that Natalie was still crying. He shrugged, knowing she'd be over it in 2 months, 3 tops. Finally Zach found his new target, and recognized her as a girl from pit.

And a freshman.

_"This is going to be too easy." _Zach thought, getting up and sitting in the seat behind her. He playfully tugged on a strand of her shoulder-length, platinum-blonde hair, cut into choppy layers. The girl turned around, her celery-green eyes glaring in annoyance.

"I'm Zach." He said, flashing pearly white teeth.

"I know who you are." The girl said curtly, starting to turn back around.

Zach grabbed her shoulder, laughing slightly. "No, this is the part where you're supposed to say /your/name. It's common courtesy."

"I don't want to give my name, too bad for you."

"But-"

"Trust me, I know exactly who you are." The girl sneered. "You broke Natalie's heart."

Zach quickly whipped up a reason why. "In my defense I-" He stopped when he saw the girl laughing.

"And I thank you for that." She said, wiping tears out of her eyes. "What a bitch!" Zach cocked his head to the side, completely confused. "Natalie got what she deserved." The girl continued, her words appealing to Zach. "A girl's place in life is to pleasure her man, don't you agree?"

Zach felt an instant bond to the girl. Then again, that seemed to happen with everyone else… "Exactly!" Zach agreed. "Nice eyebrow." He added, nodding towards the blue eyebrow piercing over her right eye.

"Thanks." She replied, blushing. "Oh, and it's Janie, by the way."

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

The two of them talked for the next half hour or so, and Zach decided now was the time to drop the bomb, so to speak.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to the movies with me tomorrow." Zach said.

"Sorry, I'm busy." Janie said, shrugging apologetically.

"Oh. How about Sunday, then?"

"Church."

"Monday??"

"I have pit practice."

"Well, what about-"

"How about I tell you when I'm free." Janie said turning back around to face the front, as they were nearing the school. Zach blinked once, then twice, and pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Much to his dismay, this was reality.

"Did I just get… rejected?" Zach asked himself, the last word leaving a foul taste in his mouth. "And by a freshman, no less??" For the rest of the bus ride, Zach was absolutely silent, pondering as to what he did wrong.

The bus pulled up to the high school 15 minutes later, and everyone climbed off of the bus. Zach went inside and quickly put away his snare in the drum storage closet. He closed the door when everyone was finished, and locked it shut.

"Hey Zach!" Jamie called from behind. Zach turned and smiled. He knew she would fall for him eventu-

"You left your wallet on the bus." Janie said, interrupting his thoughts. Zach sighed. Damn! He really though that –

"Oh, and I just realized, I'm free tomorrow night after all." Ah, there it was.

"Really?" Zach said, trying to make himself sound excited. Girls seemed to love guys like that. "So, I'll pick you up around 5?"

"Okay!" Janie said, handing him back his wallet, "See you then!" She left the band room, practically skipping all the way to her mom's car.

"Hey Zach, got another girl?" Max, his best friend, shouted from the other side of the band room. He knew more about Zach's antics then anyone.

"I've got her hook, line, and sinker." Zach said, grinning shrewdly.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Just as Janie climbed into her mom's van (driven by her older brother), her cell phone rang. She fished around her pocket a bit and finally found it. She recognized the number as Natalie's, so she opened it.

"So, how'd it go?" Natalie anxiously asked. On the other end of the line, she was biting her manicured nails.

Janie grinned with the same shrewd look that Zach had earlier. "I've got him hook, line and sinker."

* * *

**A/N: A little short for my taste, so I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Thanks to Matt loves band for being my first reviewer!**


	3. Little Tease

**A/N: Sorry to keep you waiting guys! I've been so busy with homecoming, marching band, and everything else that I didn't get this out as soon as I hoped. Chapter four is halfway done, so hopefully it will follow soon. Thanks for reviewing, and enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 3: Little Tease  


"Why the hell is there nothing to wear?!" Janie shouted, collapsing on her bed. For the past hour she and Natalie had been searching through her clothes, looking for an outfit to wear to the movies with Zach. The contents of Janie's closet were strewn about the room, giving it the appearance that a tornado had hit. Janie was wearing nothing but a bathrobe, and the fuzziness of it was starting to annoy her in the hot, stuffy room.

"Nothing to wear?" Natalie said, picking a shirt off of the floor and holding it up to herself, "Are you joking? I'd kill to have clothes like these!"

"But it has to be PERFECT." Janie said, emphasizing the last word.

Natalie raised her eyebrows. "Don't let him get too hooked onto you," she laughed. "We need him to eventually crawl back to me, remember?"

Janie sighed. "It's not going to happen unless I - " She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Natalie pick up a black and white striped tube top out of the growing mountain of clothes. "Where did you find that?" She said, grabbing it and laying it nicely on the bed.

"Where everything else was – in the nice little pile you have over here." Natalie said, throwing a pair of jeans in Janie's direction. "You're going to want to wear a nice bra. You never know with Zach."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Janie said, following orders.

"Exactly what you think it does, most likely." Natalie said. "If he's not afraid of doing something on a band bus, then he sure as heck isn't afraid to do something in a dark movie theater." Janie shrugged, then picked up a non-wrinkled pair of jeans and slipped them on. "How do you afford this stuff anyway?" Natalie asked.

"It helps when your dad's rich." Janie said, rummaging through her shoes. She finally found a pair of black Converse high-tops and triumphantly held them up in the air before putting them on.

"What does your dad do?" Natalie asked.

"He's some president of a huge corporation. Not really sure which one, to tell you the truth." Janie said. "And before you ask, I have no clue what my mom does – I hardly ever get to see her with her job. She's always somewhere abroad."

Natalie nodded, understanding completely. Poor little rich girl syndrome was common around these parts. "Better do your hair. Zach will be here any minute." Natalie said. Janie nodded in agreement and went over to her dresser, pulling out various bottles of God-knows-what. After a few minutes of messing around with the products, Janie's hair was back to its normal state, and she slipped on a polka-dot headband for good measure.

"Are you any good at manicures?" Janie asked Natalie, pulling out two bottles of nail polish. The bottle was plastic, so Natalie couldn't see what colors were inside.

"Pretty good." Natalie said. "What colors do you want?"

"Black as the base," Janie said, handing the first bottle over. "And white on the tips." She sat on the bed, fanning her fingers out. Natalie unscrewed the top of the black polish, the odor of it making her feel lightheaded for a moment. She got over it though, and started painting…

When Natalie was finished, she leaned back slightly to admire her handy-work. She had to admit, it didn't look half bad. On anyone else, the nails would have looked tacky, but as this was Janie, she seemed to pull it off perfectly. At the thought Natalie felt a small pang of jealousy. The doorbell rang just then and Natalie looked up in surprise "Oh... Hello Zach." She and Janie heard Mark, Janie's older brother, say.

"Be nice Mark!" Janie called, frantically throwing on jewelry. "I'll be right down!"

"Have fun Janie!" Natalie said, throwing Janie's purse at her. Janie caught it, making it slide down her arm in a single fluid motion, and the pang of jealousy came back to Natalie.

"I'll be back soon Natalie." Janie said. "You can grab something from the fridge. Call if Mark's being an asshole." At this she ran down the steps, her converses thudding loudly on the hardwood. Natalie sighed when she was gone.

"This is going to be a long night." She muttered.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Zach sat uncomfortably in the over-stuffed leather chair, under the constant glare from Mark. When he had seen the 6' 4" senior open the door, he nearly crapped his pants. As a freshman Zach had done some stupid things to him, and was now regretting it, as there was no means of escaping.

"Ready to go Zach?" Janie asked, smiling. He would have never guessed that she was smiling because she enjoyed seeing him uncomfortable like this.

"Yup." He said, quickly getting up. He nearly panicked when Mark grabbed his wrist strongly to prevent from from running away.

"Where are you two going?" Mark asked, his eyes glaring at Zach.

"To the movies." Zach said, struggling to get out of Mark's grasp.

"When will you be back?"

"10:00?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"Statement…?" Another glare came from Mark. "I mean statement, sir." Janie struggled not to laugh as she saw Zach nearly trembling. Oh, if his friends from school could see him now.

"You better be back." Mark said, the 'Or else…' ending implied by the tone in his voice. Mark let go of Zach's wrist, and Zach rubbed it, as a prisoner would when their cuffs are taken off.

"Let's go Zach." Janie said, tugging on his arm. Zach followed, opening the door for Janie. She went through, and Zach quickly followed, shutting it behind them.

Mark started grinning, leaning back into the couch, folding his arms behind his head. Ah, sweet revenge….

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Janie hugged her arms around herself as the brisk October air hit her face. The sun was just starting to set, casting an orange glow on the trees.

"You look great." Zach said, pulling Janie close. He leaned in, and Janie brushed her lips with his before walking over to the beat up car. "Little tease." He muttered, following after her. He opened the door to the car, on loan from Max, and Janie climbed in. She screamed, jumping out, when she sat on something other then a car seat.

"Why the hell is there a hobo in your car?" She shouted, seeing a sleeping body huddled on the seat.

"A hobo?" Zach asked confused. Then he saw the man and laughed. "No, that's just my next door neighbor. I need an adult in the car, since I only have a permit."

Janie wrinkled her nose. "Why does he smell so damn bad?" she asked, poking him.

"He's drunk, as usual. Just kind of… push him into the backseat or something. Don't worry about him." Zach said. Janie looked at him like he was crazy, but obliged, climbing in where the neighbor just was. Zach opened the backseat and pushed the man upright, buckling him in.

"All better." He said, closing the door with satisfaction. The loud noise made the man grunt, and he became silent yet again. "Let's go." Zach said, climbing into the front seat and buckling his seat belt, and Janie followed suit.

"So which theater are we going to exactly?" Janie asked as Zach pulled out of her driveway.

"You'll see." He said.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

A few minutes later Zach pulled into the school parking lot, and turned off the car. "Is the car okay?" Janie asked, thinking something was wrong with it.

"Yeah, it's fine." Zach assured. "I need to go check something in the band room." He pulled out a set of keys to prove his point, and climbed out. "I'll be back in a moment." He slammed the door shut and went inside the dark band room, leaving Janie alone in the car. She glanced anxiously at the snoring man in the backseat, who reeked of beer and cigarette smoke; the two smells combined made Janie feel sick to her stomach. Finally, fifteen long, excruciating minutes later, Zach came back to the car, opening the door for Janie.

"Come inside for a minute." he said. Janie stepped out and the two of them walked towards the band room, still pitch black. Zach opened the door, and Janie gasped in feigned surprise.

"This is amazing!" she said. Zach had set up a small table covered with a red velvet tablecloth. On top two candles sat, with a vase of white roses in between them; There were two band chairs on either side of the table, facing each other. Janie couldn't help but think that the flickering candle light added an oddly romantic feel to the usually depressing band room.

"It's no big deal." Zach replied, shrugging. In truth, it wasn't anything new to him: Make a good impression first date and it's easy sailing from then on out. And for a band geek like Janie, Zach couldn't have thought of a better place then the band room. "Take a seat." Zach said, pulling out one of the paint-splattered chairs for Janie. She sat in it, and Zach pushed in the chair for her, taking the other one in front of her.

"So do we just... sit here until 10:00?" Janie asked.

"No. Our food will be coming in a minute." Zach assured. "Until then we can just talk, I guess." Just as the words left his lips, light from the hallway outside poured into the band room. Max walked through the door, carrying a cafeteria tray, with two plates of pasta, in one hand, and a pitcher of water in the other. He walked over to the table, poured the water, then placed the plates in front of the couple.

"It's not that cafeteria crap, is it?" Janie asked, prodding the food with her fork.

"No, I promise!" Max laughed. "Enjoy." He left the band room, and Zach and Janie started eating. When they finished, they started talking about band gossip, and Max came in a cleared the table. Suddenly Zach got up mid-sentence, startling Janie.

"I told your brother we'd be watching a movie," Zach said, pulling down the projection screen, "So a movie you shall get." Janie then noticed that there was a projector hooked up to a DVD player, sitting in front of the table.

"How long has that been there?" Janie asked, nodding towards the humming piece of equipment.

"Doesn't matter, because the movie's starting." Zach said. He sarcastically added a 'shush' for good measure. He and Janie pushed the stuff to the side as the previews rolled, then sat down on the ground, leaning against the back wall. Janie silently groaned as the opening credits for 'Casanova' came onto the screen.

"Natalie said this was your favorite movie." Zach said, obviously pleased with himself.

Janie glanced at the screen, trying not to wince as David Tennant jumped out of the window onto the ground. "I love it." she lied, her stomach lurching. Damn, she forgot how bad this movie was.

As the movie progressed, Janie's already low view of Zach dropped to a whole new level. About 45 minutes into the movie, just as Zach was beginning to rub his hand along the length of Janie's thigh, her nerves snapped. "Zach, I don't think this is going to work." she said, meaning every word. Between the crappy food and the choice of movie, she had had enough.

"What? Why???" Zach said, his world shattering. Things never went this way, period.

"You're not my type." Janie said, using Zach's own line against him. He recognized it, and felt his face pale. When he recovered a few moments later, he had the urge to shout so many things at Janie; slut, whore, player. But he didn't dare because he knew he would have also described himself at the same time. So instead he nodded.

"Do you need a ride home?" he quietly asked.

"No, I'll call my brother." Janie said, pulling out a cell phone. "Good night Zach." At this she grabbed her purse off of the floor, and walked outside. Zach silently stood into the band room until she was gone, dreading band practice the next morning.

* * *

**A/N: Finally - it's finished!! Like I said earlier, Chapter Four is halfway finished and that will follow soon. And because marching band is now officially over for me and indoor drumline doesn't start for a few weeks, I have plenty of time to write. Thanks for reviewing!**


	4. War

**A/N: Yay! It got out fairly quickly for once! Enjoy...**

* * *

Chapter Four: War

Zach wanted nothing more then to pull the covers over his head and hide there until his pride was healed. In his mind, 9:00 am was way too early to see a girl who had just broken up with him the night before. Nevertheless, he dragged himself into the car and drove to the school. He was the only one who had the key to the percussion storage closet, and he still hadn't gotten around to showing Max how to pick the lock using nothing more then a drumstick and a piece of gum, so he was forced to go.

Once he got to the band room, Zach saw the percussion people crowded around the door like they normally were. He laughed silently to himself, thinking they looked very similar to seagulls waiting for a clumsy man to drop his sandwich. He unlocked to door, and went to grab a chair in the back. He didn't dare look to see where Janie was.

"Maybe one look." He said, glancing around the band room. He immediately regretted his decision when he saw Ben, one of the bass drummers, with an arm around her waist.

"She's going through the whole section." Zach groaned, suddenly having a sense of déjà vu. He saw Janie laugh loudly, placing a hand on Ben's arm, and in turn Zach put his head in his hands, a sign of defeat. "Could this day get any worse?" he moaned to no one in particular. A few moments later, Zach felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up, and realized that his day could indeed get worse, for Natalie was standing in front of him. Zach was sure she loved the situation he was in, after everything he did to her.

"Are you okay?" Natalie asked, putting a hand on Zach's shoulder.

Zach blinked in surprise. "Not really." he said, looking over at Janie. She seemed to give him a smirk before kissing Ben on the lips. Zach hated the smirk and the jealousy it caused him to have. Suddenly a plan formed in his head, one that was destined to work.

"What's wrong?" Natalie asked, knowing full well what the problem was. This was it, the moment where she would humiliate Zach for the rest of his high school life. All he had to do now was admit that Janie broke up with him...

"I feel guilty for breaking up with you." Zach said, trying to gather tears in his eyes, like a little kid would when trying to make his mother buy him a toy. "Would you like to go out with me again Natalie?"

"Yes!" Natalie shrieked, throwing her arms around Zach, the plan completely forgotten. This was much better

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Janie tried hard not to stare at Zach as Natalie leapt into his arms. As far as she remembered, this wasn't part of the plan. And she should know, considering she was the creator of the wonderful scheme. She returned to her conversation with Ben and his friends, although her mind was still on Zach.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zach kiss Natalie, and Janie retaliated by planting one on Ben. Zach apparently saw this, for he kissed Natalie again, but this time it appeared he was eating her face. Natalie didn't seem to care, however. Janie's face turned scarlet, and she kissed Ben again, more forceful this time. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zach take Natalie's hand and lead her to the percussion storage closet. Janie stopped kissing Ben, frozen in place. She knew what was going to happen next.

And so did the rest of the band, as the door to the percussion closet closed with a loud click. Janie attempted to ignore the noises coming from inside, but they were too much for her to handle.

"I'm going to get some fresh air." Janie whispered to Ben.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Janie lied. She left the band room, and went behind the giant storage shed, leaning against the brick wall. The cool, damp, bricks felt good against her hot face, still slightly pink. "You've won this time Zach," she muttered to no one in particular, "But I swear, I'll be the victorious one in the end."

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

When Zach and Natalie left the storage closet, Zach looked around the band room, wanting to see the look on Janie's face. To his disappointment, she was nowhere to be found. Then he saw Janie walk in the band room, and realized he had won this battle.

"When does practice start?" Natalie asked, her face a little flushed.

Zach glanced at the clock, which was always about four hours off, give or take a few minutes. "In about... 10 minutes, I think." he said. "You can never tell with this damn clock."

"I've got to go set up then." Natalie said, giving Zach a peck on the cheek. "See you later Zach." She left the band room, and Zach sighed with relief. Oh, how he had missed having some breathing room.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

"Are you feeling better?" Ben asked Janie as she walked in.

"Much better." Janie said. She glanced over at Zach, who was alone now that Natalie had left for color guard sectionals. "Can we talk?"

"You still like him, don't you?" Ben said, nodding his head towards Zach.

Janie nodded, surprised how quickly he guessed. "You're a really sweet guy, Ben, but I'm not dating you for the right reasons." she said. "It wouldn't be fair to you if we kept on going like this."

"That's alright." Ben said, shrugging. "Better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all."

"You know that's bullshit." Janie laughed.

"Yeah." he agreed. "I don't think I really liked you like that anyway."

"Then we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Ben said, pounding Janie's fist.

"Band, go to sectionals." Mr. Johnson shouted from his office adjoining the band room.

"Thanks Ben." Janie said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before running off to pit practice.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Halfway through sectionals Adam, the battery instructor, announced that battery and pit would be practicing together for the rest of the day. Zach smiled to himself as he lead the battery to the pit practice site, in front of the flagpoles. He couldn't wait to taunt Janie for a good hour and a half, just by standing there.

When the battery arrived, Adam went over to Chris, the pit's teacher, and the two of them started talking, as they usually did. Janie quickly looked to make sure the two of them weren't paying attention, then went around her marimba, going over to Max. "Hey Max." Janie said, "How's my favorite quad player?"

"Just fine." Max said, taking the heavy piece of equipment off. "And how's my favorite girlfriend?"

"Happy, now that you're here." Janie said. She gave Max a quick peck on the lips, and turned to Zach. "Oh, hello Zach!" She said cheerily, trying to annoy the hell out of him. It apparently worked, for his face turned bright pink, scrunching up. Adam and Chris stopped talking, and Janie took this as her cue to leave. "See you later Max." she said, going back to her spot.

"Dude, what the hell?" Zach said, pissed off.

"What? She asked me, not the other way around." Max said, putting his quads back on. "Besides, it was a hard breakup on her. Why did you do it?!"

"I didn't break up with hr!" Zach hissed, "She broke up with ME!"

Max raised and eyebrow. "Right Zach. Like I'm supposed to believe that."

"You are!" Zach quietly shouted, not wanting to attract Adam's attention. "You're my goddamn best friend!"

"So? She's hot, you hurt her, end of story." Max said, shrugging. Before Zach could reply, Chris started banging the tempo of the opener on a woodblock, ending all conversation as people shuffled into place. Zach sighed. This was going to be a long practice after all.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Janie smiled to herself as Adam and Chris yelled at Zach for messing up yet again. She wished she had thought of this long before asking out Ben. The fact that she was going out with Max seemed to mess with his mind completely, turning reality inside-out for him. And even better, it wasn't even a true boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Max was only doing this because he believed he was helping Janie get revenge on Zach for dumping her. By the time this was all over, she'd get Zach, Max wouldn't be hurt, and everyone would be happy. Minus Natalie, of course, but at this point Janie didn't really care about her. She almost felt bad for Zach, having to spend every moment humanly possible with Natalie.

Almost.

"I think we have to end sectionals early guys, sorry." Adam said, glaring at Zach. Everyone groaned sadly. Janie, along with all the other freshmen, swore that this was the only school where people enjoyed extra practice.

"And you can thank our lead snare, Zach, for that." Chris said, pointing a mallet at him. "It's impossible to play while he's... doing God knows what. What are you doing, exactly, Zach?" Chris was infamous when it came to humiliating people.

"Being a dumb-ass and ruining the practice for everyone." Zach mumbled, knowing this response would get him in the least amount of trouble. Anything that resembled a defense would immediately result in Adam raising his voice, which was not a good thing. Rumor had it that the last time Adam yelled, global warming started.

"Then what should you say to everyone?" Chris asked.

"Sorry." Zach quietly muttered, turning a light shade of pink.

"What was that?"

"Sorry." Zach said a little louder. Adam sighed.

"Go inside and pack up everyone." He said. "And make sure to help the pit."

Everyone groaned sarcastically, and grabbed an end of the bulky equipment. 15 minutes and many instruments later, everything was packed up and people started leaving. Janie stayed behind, waiting for the rest of the band to finish - she was getting a ride with one of the clarinets today, as her brother had football practice.

Zach locked up the percussion storage closet, saying a cold goodbye to Max, who didn't reply. He left the band room, going into the main hallway, looking for Janie. He found her sitting on one of the silver benches, eyes shut as she was taking a nap. He knew that it wasn't going to last long, however, because he intended on giving her a good piece of his mind.

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**A/N: Aw, sweet jealousy... Thanks to everyone for reviewing and putting up with my messed up time table of updating! Chapter 5 will be arriving soon, I hope.  
**

**Also, how would you feel about an indoor drumline fanfic? I have three chapters done and in the process of being edited, and rest of the plot has been pretty much mapped up. Any takers? **


	5. Confrontation

**A/N: After dumbly deleting this chapter, I've decided to repost it so I can go use Plot #1 (You know what I'm talking about Closetbrilliance). So (re)enjoy the chapter :)**

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Chapter 5: Confrontation

"Janie, we need to talk." Zach said sternly, stomping over to the bench. Janie opened one eye to see what the racket was, then opened the other when she saw Zach.

"Oh? What about?" she asked, trying to keep a smirk off of her face. She failed, however, making Zach even more pissed off then he currently was.

"You know full well what the hell I'm talking about!" He snapped. "Or have you already dumped Max and gotten your 3rd, assuming that there wasn't one before Ben, boyfriend today??"

"No, Max is still mine." Janie said.

"He better be!" Zach shouted, "Or else - "

"Or else what?" Janie interrupted. "You can do barely anything to me! You can't hit me, and you're not very good at doing mind games. Are you sure you're in percussion?" She laughed.

"I know what game you're trying to play," Zach said, "But it's not going to affect me, dammit!"

"And what game is it that you speak of?" Janie asked, still smirking.

"The mind games - you're even doing them right now!" Zach shouted. "Stop playing them with me! Better yet, stay away from my best friend!"

"I can date whomever I want without your permission Zach." Janie said, standing up. Zach opened his mouth to say more, but he was interrupted by the squeak of the band room door.

"Now you've done it!" Zach hissed. Mr. Johnson stepped outside. "Janie, can I see you in my office for a minute?" he asked. Janie nodded, and followed Mr. Johnson. "Don't think I'm letting you off that easily." He whispered in Janie's ear, grabbing her arm. She jerked it out, and walked into the office, closing the door behind her.

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**A/N: I know it's not exactly the way it was before, but I'm trying to re-type this by memory. Sorry it's so short - that's the way it originally was.**

**Read and review, and I shall love you forever... okay, not forever, but you know what I mean.**

**Your bandaged hand marimba player,**

**The Sound of Drums **


	6. Mark

**A/N: I really, really, hope to get this fic done soon. I have a new idea coming about, with a pretty original plot in my mind.  
**

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Chapter 6: Mark

Janie walked into the office, closing the door behind her. Mr. Johnson sat in his office chair, and folded his hands in his lap. "Janie, your brother, Mark, has been in a car accident." he informed her. "He's currently in the hospital, in near-critical condition." Janie's face paled, and she shook her head in denial.

"No, he couldn't have." she protested. "He's too careful of a driver!"

"It wasn't his fault; A truck ran head-on into his car. You know how people drive around here."

"But he was supposed to be at football practice!" Janie moaned. She slid down the wall to the floor, her head in her hands.

"Didn't I call Zach in?" Mr. Johnson asked. Janie shook her head, in despair more then answering his question. He got up and went back outside the band room. "Zach, can you also come into my office?" he asked. Zach nodded, and also followed him in.

"Where's Janie?" Zach asked. He noticed her on the ground sobbing. "Uh, sir, what's the matter?"

"Her brother has just been in a car accident." Mr. Johnson repeated. "I need you to drive her to the hospital to see him."

"But - "

"Please, Zach, just do it. Your section isn't going to miss you that much." Zach sighed, looking at Janie, who was currently passed out on the ground.

"Fine." Zach sighed, picking her up. He walked out to the car and kicked open the back door, buckling her limp form in. Zach felt he was allowed to do that sort of thing to Max's car, as he had recently bought it before his best friend betrayed him. He pulled out of the school parking lot, swerving his car to avoid hitting a pair of, obviously late, clarinet-playing juniors. Janie woke up fifteen minutes later, and panicked when she didn't recognize the car.

"Who are you?" She screamed, unbuckling her seatbelt. As soon as the man in front of her pulled up to a stoplight, she was planning on making a run for it.

"Relax." Zach snapped. "It's just me, Zach. Now buckle in your seatbelt before you get killed or I get a ticket, whichever one comes first." Janie glared.

"Glad to see you care so much about me." she muttered sarcastically, following Zach's orders.

"You seem rather nonchalant about your brother." Zach observed. Janie suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

"That whole scene in the office, that was real then?" she asked. He nodded, and as reality set in, her anxiety increased tenfold with each passing second. "Hurry up!" she shouted.

"I can't control the traffic, dammit." Zach snapped.

"Go on the side lane and work your way in." Janie suggested. "There's no one there!"

"I can't do that - it's a turn lane!" The traffic slowly inched forward. Janie reached her arm over Zach's should and slammed the horn a few times, desperate. "Stop that!" he growled, giving an apologetic look to the now angry driver in front of him. Janie leaned back in her seat, letting the tears freely fall, completely silent as they hit her cotton t-shirt. Zach tried to ignore her for the rest of the excruciating car ride, and found it rather difficult with her sniffling.

Finally they pulled into the hospital parking lot, and Zach pulled into the entrance of the parking garage, where a toll booth sat, it's bright yellow bar the only thing holding Zach back from getting a spot; in short, it made him more pissed off then he already was.

"That will be $5.00." a fat guard sat from inside the safety of the toll booth. If he had realized the crazed state Zach was in, he would have appreciated the box more.

"There wasn't a fee a month ago to park in this garage." Zach said through gritted teeth. "I should know, I was visiting someone."

"Times change, and so do fees." The guard countered. "Pay up or turn around."

"That would be rather hard, considering that there is a nice little line of cars behind be." Zach sarcastically said. His sarcasm was lost on the oblivious guard.

"$5.00." he repeated sternly, holding out a pudgy hand. Zach rummaged around the glove compartment, grumbling as he finally found a ten dollar bill.

"Keep the change." Zach muttered, throwing the money at the guard.

"Pleasure doing business with you sir." The guard said jovially, tipping his hat. The metal bar moved at a painfully slow pace up, and Zach pulled through before it fell with a 'clunk' behind them.

"Ripoff." he muttered, pulling around to a set of doors. "Janie, climb out and find Mark's room while I'm getting a spot." Zach instructed. "I'll meet you inside." Janie nodded and followed his instructions, entering the lobby. It smelled strongly of disinfectant, with the slight twinge that disease brings. She slowly walked down the hallway, trying not to focus on anything else but the speckled pattern in the commercial carpeting on the floor.

She went up to the front desk, and attempted to smile at the nurse sitting behind the desk. "Can you please tell me where Mark O'Conner's room is?" she requested. The nurse took out a clipboard and scanned down the list.

"I'm sorry, dear, but he can't have any visitors right now." The woman said. "You see, he's in c-"

"Critical condition." Janie finished. "I know. But I'm his sister - doesn't that count for anything?" The nurse sighed.

"It's about time someone from his family showed up." she said. "But it's not even the mother or father. How sad." Janie said nothing, but couldn't help but silently agree with her. The two of them silently walked down the brightly-lit hallway, Janie diverting her eyes from any patients inside the rooms. Finally they stopped in front of a closed door, and the nurse slid in the clipboard into a rack on the door. "He's in here." she said, opening the door. "Don't purposefully try to wake him up, please." Janie swallowed nervously, and went inside.

She gasped when she saw her disheveled brother. IV tubes stuck out of his left arm, and a breathing tube was in his nose, fogged a little inside. His chest fell heavily as he tried to breathe, and Janie could feel her breath become more ragged itself. Mark shifted in his sleep, and Janie gasped as the sheets fell away from his legs. One was amputated, and the other was wrapped in a cast. Mark's eyelids fluttered open at the noise, and he gave a weak smile at his sister as he covered his legs back up.

"Hey Janie." he said, his voice quiet. "Come over here." He scooted over to the side of the bed, and patted the empty space next to him. Janie slowly walked over, as if in a trance. She climbed onto the bed, resting her head on her brother's shoulder and letting a few tears drop onto his shoulder.

"Stop that crying!" Mark snapped. "Please?" he added more gently. "I can't have you crying while I'm telling you this, because you won't pay any attention to me." Janie stopped, looking up into her older brother's face. "Good. Now I'm not joking, pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once. The doctors don't seem optimistic Janie. They think that -"

"Don't say that!" Janie shrieked. "You can't know for sure!"

"Please, just listen to me." Mark interrupted. He waited silently until Janie calmed down, and continued. "They think that I'm a lost cause, and truthfully, I'm glad they've admitted it. Now I won't die ignorant." He sat still a moment, thinking. "Now you have to promise me some things, alright?" Janie nodded.

"First of all, I know your ways, they used to be mine." Mark began. "Promise me you'll stick with one guy for a while, or remain chaste when you're single, understand?"

"Yes, Mark."

"Good. On a slightly related note, just make up your mind about Zach! You either hate him or like him - you can't pretend to do both."

"Promise number two: fix up my truck. I know it's completely totaled, if I remember correctly, but that thing is my baby. Besides, how are you going to get around without it?" Janie opened her mouth to point out that she didn't know how to drive anyway, but quickly snapped her jaw shut. Mark grinned, happy she was catching on. "And one last promise: I want to be cremated. I hate my legs in this state, and I don't want others to see me like this. It's just not right. Do you understand all of this?"

"Yes Mark." Janie whispered, barely audible. Mark knew it was enough.

"Good, now could you send in Zach, please?" Mark asked. "I intend on giving him a good piece of my mind." Janie gave a curious glance but left the room, and found Zach pacing outside the door.

"Mark wants to talk to you." Janie said.

"What? Why?!" Zach inquired.

"He didn't say." Janie semi-lied. "Please, just do it Zach." Zach gulped, and walked into the plain, white room.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Zach went over to the bed, standing next to Mark. "Lean in closer - I don't want Janie to hear." Mark hissed. Zach obeyed, his ear a few inches away from Mark's face.

"Now you listen, and listen good." Mark threatened. Regardless of his physical state, Zach could tell his mental state was pretty much the same, give or take. "You better make up you goddam mind about Janie. No one is going to be there for her when I'm gone, so you either stick with her and make a commitment, or you leave her alone so that someone else can step in.Understand?" By this point, Mark was gripping onto Zach's shirt and was glaring menacingly. Zach nodded vigorously, and Mark released Zach.

"Great. Now please send Janie back in." Mark requested. Zach did so, but stopped Janie in the doorway.

"I'm going down to the cafeteria. Do you want me to get you anything?" he offered. Janie shook her head no, at a total loss of words by this point. Zach shrugged, and disappeared down the hallway. Janie reentered the room and sat in a chair next to Mark's bed. She scooted it closer and rested her head on the edge of the bed. Mark lay a hand on top of her head, trying to comfort his now sobbing sister. Her shaking subsided, and she looked up.

"I love you Mark." She said, most likely for the last time.

"I love you too sis." Janie gave a weak smile, and her head collapsed on the bed again with exhaustion. Mark decided to follow her example, and joined his sister in Dreamland.

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**A/N: Poor Janie :(**

**The next chapter should be up soon. Currently I'm holding Hello, Goodbye hostage, and the next chapter won't be posted for that until this story is finished. Don't worry, the plot is all mapped out. It just needs to be typed up and edited.**

**But don't think this means you win, Closetbrilliance!**

**Your lovely marimba-player,**

**The Sound of Drums**


	7. Ashes to Ashes

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys - keep them coming :-)

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**

Chapter 7: Ashes to Ashes

When Janie awoke, it was to a constant humming sound. In her drowsy state, the noise didn't register in her brain. As the last shrouds of sleep drifted away, the noise became more shriller and high pitched, until finally it was almost annoying. "What the...?" Janie muttered. She felt herself and the chair be pushed out of the way, and suddenly the unidentifiable screech clicked with its name.

"No!" Janie cried, seeing the straight green line on the heart monitor. "Mark!"

"Come with me sweetheart." A kind voice said as more doctors gathered around the bed. Janie turned, and recognized the nurse from the night before. Janie tried to struggle, but the petite woman was surprisingly strong, and eventually won in the end.

Before the door was shut, Janie heard an electric buzz, followed by "Clear!" Janie started sobbing; she had seen enough 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'House' episodes to know what this meant. She found a chair outside the door and slid into it, her head hanging in her hands.

"Miss ?" One of the doctors inquired, stepping out of the room.

"Is Mark alright?!" Janie asked hopefully. The doctor's solemn face crushed her spirits.

"I'm sorry, but your brother has passed away." The doctor said. "Would you like to go see him while I contact your parents?"

Janie nodded, quietly muttering "Good luck with that." so the doctor wouldn't hear. She reentered the room, and the remaining doctors exited out one by one, leaving Janie and her brother alone. She slowly shuffled over toward the bed, her body trembling while tears started flowing again. Finally she reached Mark's bedside, and cautiously took a look at his face. To her relief it was blank and peaceful, instead of the pained expression she had imagined. Janie reached out and fixed the covers around his legs again, and pulled his hair out of his face, tenderly tucking it behind his ear with a trembling hand. She bent down, then, and kissed his clammy forehead.

"Goodbye Mark." She whispered, her voice quivering. She turned and left the room, choosing a random hallway to go down. She turned down another hallway, and ran straight into the doctor she had talked to earlier.

"Hello again Janie." He said, fixing the papers on his clipboard. "We were unable to contact your parents, so we faxed them all the paperwork."

"Doesn't surprise me." Janie said, starting to drown in her despair.

"Is there anything I can get you?" he asked.

"I think I'll go home." Janie decided, wanting nothing more then to get out of this godforsaken place. She quickly walked in the opposite direction of the doctor, and sat on the linoleum ground when she felt she was far away enough. As white-clad nurses walked by, not noticing Janie, she suddenly realized that she had no way to get home.

"Unless Zach decided to stay." Janie thought aloud, standing up. "Although I doubt that." She looked up, and saw a bright purple arrow on the wall pointing in the direction of the cafeteria. "He's in there, isn't he?" she pondered, heading off in that direction. It couldn't hurt to try.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Janie entered the deserted cafeteria, and could immediately pinpoint Zach, who was sitting at one of the tables. His head was down, and his left hand was curled around a cup of luke-warm coffee. "Zach?" Janie said, nudging him. Zach groaned sleepily, and Janie repeated his name. "Zach?" she said for the third time. Still no reply. "Wake up dammit!" she shouted, giving him a good kick in the shin. It gave the desired effect.

"What the hell as-" he stopped when he saw Janie. "Oh, it's just you Janie." he said. "So how's Mark?" Janie said nothing, instead turning to wipe away a tear. It would be a cold day in hell when she cried in front of Zach. Zach needed nothing more, and wrapped his arms around Janie in a hug. She turned to face him, and decided just this once, hell could have snow day.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Zach drove Janie home, hating the silence. Even the creaky car made no noise for once, leaving the two passengers to stew in their thoughts. Occasionally Janie would sniffle and wipe away a tear, but then she would return to gazing sadly out the window.

Finally the two of them arrived at Janie's house. There was no need for directions, as Zach had to drive everyone to her house for freshman initiation over the summer.

"Are you going to be alright?" Zach asked as Janie climbed out. Janie nodded slowly, but it wasn't enough to satisfy Zach. He sat in his car, watching her go in safely, and then decided it was time to leave.

Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice that as he backed up, he was going onto the grass. Because the yards between the houses were so narrow, he accidentally ran into a bright orange 'For Sale' sign next door.

"Shit." he muttered, stepping outside the car to inspect the damage. To his dismay, the wooden post holding the sign up was still upright, while there was a huge, rectangular dent in the trunk of his car. Zach climbed back into the car and started up the engine again, and drove to the nearest gas station in hopes of getting his car fixed.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Janie felt that the memorial service held a week later was rather nice. It was held on the football field, because the 'family church' was busy with two weddings. Janie felt it was better this way anyway. Mark wasn't very religious, and he was almost always practicing on the bright green field.

As the pastor droned on, Janie glanced up to the sky and furrowed her brow. Dark clouds were gathering in the grey-blue sky, and the sun quickly disappeared. She adjusted her huge, floppy, black hat so that it would cover more of her in case she rained. She wasn't sure what it would do to her mother's pinstripe dress suit, but Janie didn't want to take any chances.

The pastor nodded at Janie, and she took this as her cue to stand up. She bent over and picked up a small urn next to her chair. She slowly walked out to the middle of the field, and lifted off the lid. The wind started picking up, and Janie smiled sadly as she tilted the urn, letting the ashes be carried in the wind. It flew away into nothing, and Janie replaced the lid, returning to her chair.

Just as the pastor finished the service, thunder boomed in the distance. The spectators frantically grabbed a seat and ran inside the school, trying to keep themselves dry from the rain that would follow. Inside they all hugged and comforted each other, and Janie got stuck talking to one of her uncles that she never knew existed.

Seeing Janie's distress, Zach came over to the duo. "Do you mind if I talk with Janie a moment?" he asked.

"Not at all." the thin, wiry man boomed.

"Follow me." Zach requested, leading Janie outside. The two of them quickly walked along the side of the school, Janie anxiously glancing at a few raindrops that had splattered on the ground. The two of them eventually reached the band room, and Zach unlocked the outside door. Another crash of thunder reached their ears, and they frantically ran inside the band room, Zach closing the door behind them.

Zach flicked on the light, and saw Janie kneeling on the ground, her breathing coming in ragged breaths. "Janie...?" Almost instantly, Janie let loose all the tears she had been holding back for the past two hours, her makeup running. "Come on, get up." Zach said, helping her up. She attempted to fall back down again, but he managed to keep her upright by enveloping her in a hug.

The band door opened, and Zach attempted to look at who was entering. A pink-haired woman entered the room, her hair tastefully covered with a black hat complete with a veil. Like Janie, she wore a black dress-suit, with a cream colored sash tied around her waist.

"Janie I knew I'd find you here!" she said, seeing Janie's back, which was turned to the door. Janie continued crying, apparently not hearing the woman. "Who are you?" she asked Zach.

"I was about to ask the same thing." Zach replied. "I'm Zach. And you are...?"

"Taylor." she replied. Janie's head snapped up at the name, and she turned around. "Come here sweetheart." she said, opening her arms. Janie ran into them, and continued her sobbing.

"And you know Janie how?" Zach asked.

"I was Mark's girlfriend." Taylor explained, adding nothing more. Tears started welling up in her eyes, and Zach tried not to roll his when she joined Janie in her crying. To add to the confusion, Natalie burst into the band room then, sporting a disrespectfully bright pink sun-dress.

"Zach!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. "I have something to tell you!" She added in a sing-song voice.

"Not now Natalie!" Zach shouted, trying to be heard over the noise. Natalie took it the wrong way, and ran out of the band room, trying not to cry. As she left, Zach shook his head.

Taylor slowly started to recover, finally letting go of Janie and wiping away the thick black lines of mascara on her face. "Sorry for the breakdown." she muttered.

"Don't worry about it." Zach said, shrugging the whole thing off. He looked at Janie. "I think we really need to get her home." Taylor nodded in agreement. Zach slid his left arm under Janie's legs and his right behind her back, and started carrying her toward the band room door. She protested by hitting his chest with her fists, but fell limp in his arms a few moments later from exhaustion. "Grab my keys and lock the band room door behind us." Zach instructed Taylor, not bothering to turn off the lights. The custodians could do that later.

He quickly walked out to the car, kicking open the back-seat passenger door with his left floor. "Nice car." Taylor sarcastically commented. Zach ignored her, and buckled in Janie, closing the door again. He unlocked the rest of the car, and he and Taylor slid inside as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

When Zach finally arrived at Janie's house, Taylor had also fallen asleep, leaving Zach to stew in his own thoughts yet again. "Taylor, we're here." he said gently, nudging her awake. "Wake up." After a few moans and groans from her part, Taylor finally got out of the car and quickly took a key out from under the mat. She unlocked the door, and ran inside to get out of the rain. Zach locked the doors, then kicked open Janie's to take her out.

"I really need to find a better car." he muttered, slamming the door shut with his hip. He carried Janie inside, and lay her on her back on one of the couches in the family room. Zach decided on the one Mark greeted him in, as there was some sentimental value with it. Janie turned on her side, and sighed in her sleep. Taylor sat on the couch opposite Janie, and she quickly sank into it. Zach moved the coffee table out of the way and sat between the two of them, crossing his legs on the hardwood floor.

Suddenly Janie's eyes fluttered open, and she calmly gazed around at her surroundings. "Hey Taylor." she said sleepily. "Do you know where Mark is?" Taylor's panicked look, a result of not having a clue what to say, reminded Janie of reality, and Janie began crying again.

"Dammit." Zach muttered, desperately trying to think of a way to get her back to sleep. It was like babysitting a newborn - they never stayed asleep for long.

"Wine will make it better." Taylor suggested, getting up. "I know where her parents keep it in the basement. Let me go get -"

"No, alcohol is the last thing she needs." Zach interrupted,

"Fine. If not for her, then for me, then." Taylor said, turning a corner and going down a flight of stairs. Zach shook his head sadly.

"Shh, it's alright." he cooed, stroking her hair. "It's all just a bad dream Janie; Go back to sleep." Janie obediently followed orders, and Zach continued caressing her blonde locks. A few moments later, Taylor came back into the living room, sporting a black bottle of 'Yellow Tail' in her left hand. The cork was gone, and Zach assumed that she had gotten ahold of a bottle opener.

"Cheers." she muttered, taking a swig of the wine directly from the bottle.

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**A/N: Mark's ashes get to fulfill what mine never will - they get to be scattered about the football field. By the way, I only chose Yellow Tail as the brand because it was the first kind I saw when I looked in my refrigerator today. **

**On a completely unrelated note, I have discovered the best song ever. It's called Boten Anna (by Basshunter. You can find it on free.napster). Who doesn't like Swedish techno? X-D**

**And on another, completey unrelated note, I turn 15 tomorrow. Whooot!!! This chapter is my birthday present to myself, I guess, lol. **

**Read and review, and I shall forever be your slave (not really! I like my freedom...)**

**Your insane marimba player, **

**The Sound of Drums**


	8. Confessions

Chapter 8: Confessions

When Zach had driven everyone to Janie's house, his main focus for worry was Janie. However, now that she was asleep, his concern was directed toward Taylor, who was clearly getting more and more drunk with each passing minute.

"I think you've had enough of that." Zach decided, taking the bottle out of Taylor's hands. He put it on the coffee table beside him.

"Hey! That's -hiccup- mine!" Taylor protested, reaching a swaying hand out to grasp the bottle. Zach shook his head, then went into the kitchen, dumping out the remaining third of the bottle into the sink.

"I'm getting you more." he lied. Zach waited to hear Taylor's protesting, but there was none. He filled the bottle to the top with water, then swirled it around, praying some of the taste would be transferred into it. "Here you go." Zach said, reentering the living room. "It's all for you." He handed Taylor the bottle, and watched anxiously as she took a swig from it. She apparently didn't notice any difference, which was all the better.

"This stuff is great." she said, leaning back onto the floor. She let out a small giggle. "Ask me how I know Mark, Zach."

"How do you know Mark, Taylor?" Zach asked, deciding to humor her.

"I met him last year; I was a sophomore then. He was on the varsity football team as a junior, and although he wasn't the quarterback yet, he was still well known. That year, Eastwood was having their first -and last- ever match making service, just for the lovely single people. On a dare, I filled out one of the slips, saying I was a blonde-haired and blue-eyed cheerleader." She laughed at how she was obviously nothing like that, and Zach couldn't help but join in. "Anyway, Mark got stuck with me. The look on his face was priceless when he saw me and my blue and green hair."

"Your hair wasn't pink?" Zach asked.

"No, of course not!" Taylor said. "I change it when I get stuck in my artwork. It gets the juices flowing. But apparently, Mark didn't appreciate my artistic talent involving oil pastels. Then again, I wasn't so fond of his obsession with football and, of course, Janie. The two of us went up to the people who ran the service, and we complained. 'No,' they assured us, 'the machine is never wrong. Just give each other a chance.' Chance my butt! The first date was horrible - we sat in silence, sizing each other up, I suppose."

"So you got together how?"

"We were required to go on two dates. The second one turned out a hell of a lot better then the first, as we actually talked. And the rest is history." Taylor sighed happily.

"That was rather nice." Zach commented, not planning on asking what the rest of said history was. Taylor raised her bottle-free hand. Apparently she wasn't done yet.

"I remember one time, I came over here, and it was just me and Mark. His parents were out of town, and this was one of the few times Janie had gone with them." Taylor began. "We had been dating for about two months now, I think. We both had a little to much to drink that night, and nine months later, the bun popped out of the oven."

"You mean that -?" Zach didn't dare finish his question. He was horrified at the prospect of how many girls in band he had put into Taylor's position.

"Sunflower's three months old now." Taylor said. "Precious little thing. She's got her mommy's natural blonde hair, and her daddy's eyes and nose." She smiled sadly, and then started crying again. Zach was at a loss for comforting words, struggling with his own thoughts. How could something like this happen after only a one night stand? Suddenly he thought of all the girls in the band he had fooled around with, and those that he had done it more then once with. What the hell was he thinking?!

Taylor took another swig from the bottle, ignoring everything around her. This seemed to snap Zach back into reality, and he grabbed the bottle out of her hands again. "I think you need to get home." he said.

"I don't want -hiccup- to!" Taylor protested. "Now give me back my damn Yellow Tail!"

Zach sighed. "Don't you remember? You left it out in the car." he lied. Taylor grew confused, but luckily the alcohol had enough effect on her brain that she got up anyway. She staggered over to the door, opening it and stepping out into the pouring rain. She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a set of keys, sticking them in the lock on the car door.

"No! Wait!" Zach shouted, running after her. But it was too late. Taylor had turned the key, and it was now stuck in the lock. She attempted to pull it out, and only succeeded in cleanly breaking the key in half, part of it still in the lock.

"Oh dear." She muttered as Zach groaned in dismay. One week with his 'new' car, and already some costly damage had occurred. Taylor continued standing in the rain, almost in a stupor. Zach hurried over and gave the door to the backseat a hearty kick, and it swung open as it usually did. He reached around and pulled up the lock, opening the front door.

"Climb in." he instructed Taylor. To his relief, she did so, and soon they were off.

"Where's my Yellow Tail?" Taylor moaned, climbing into the front passenger seat about thirty seconds later.

"I sent it to your house so you wouldn't leave it in the car." Zach lied again, reaching over her awkwardly to buckle her in. "Where do you live - I want to make sure it made it to the right house, after all."

"My house is on the corner of Lee Crossing and Aimee Way." Taylor slurred. "It's got these crazy spiral trees out front..." She proceeded to describe the house the rest of the trip, even though Zach knew exactly where he was going. Eventually the pair arrived.

"Here we are." Zach announced, pulling into the driveway. He waited patiently for Taylor to climb out, but she didn't.

"You know, you look kind of like Mark." she commented. "Huge, tanned arms, muscular legs..." as she spoke, she had placed her hand on Zach's leg. It was starting to creep slowly up, getting dangerously close to -

"Okay, that's enough!" Zach snapped anxiously, quickly picking up Taylor's hand and placing it in her own lap.

"What's the problem?" she asked, leaning in. Zach tried not to vomit at the disgusting smell of her breath. "You've got nothing to lose."

"You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing." Zach said.

"I know full well what I'm doing, thank you very much." she murmured, leaning in again.

"Is that Sunflower I hear?" Zach pretended to strain his hearing. "I think she's crying. You better go check on her."

"Maybe I should." Taylor decided, climbing out of the car. She reached a hand out to steady herself, then bent inside the car again. "Take good care of Janie, alright?" she said, more of a demand then a request, before slamming the door shut. Zach waited to make sure Taylor got inside alright, then drove back to Janie's. He let himself in again, and noticed she was still curled up on the couch, asleep. Zach went around the house to make sure everything was locked up, then proceeded to lie on the easy-chair opposite Janie. He clicked off the light, and then drifted off to sleep instantly.

* * *

**A/N: -groans- Lee Crossing? Aimee Way?? Dang, I'm bad at naming streets. **

**So sorry not to have updated any of my stories in forever! As a warning, I'm putting Talise Mallethands on temporary hiatus until I finish Janie's Got a Gun. It's rather hard to do three stories at once.**

**As always, read and review!**

**Your failing-at-geometry marimba player,**

**The Sound of Drums**


	9. The End

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is the product of a drumline trip, in addition to a nice, relaxing Spring break. Hope everyone had a very happy Easter! Enjoy!  
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Chapter 9: The End

Subconsciously, underneath the activities in his dreams, Zach felt something being hit against his head. It didn't hurt; it annoyed Zach more than anything else, as it was interrupting some much-needed sleep. Another, well placed blow came in contact with his skull, and he guessed his assailant was using something that resembled a baseball bat, and a cheap one at that. He snapped open his eyes and laughed triumphantly in his head, as he was fairly correct. Janie stood in defense mode in the middle of the living room, Nerf bat poised, ready on her shoulder. Zach's amusement was short lived, though, as Janie swung it against the bridge of his nose. Zach's vision went blurry, and he grabbed his nose in shock. Where the heck had she learned to swing like that?

Janie's arms retracted into their original position, preparing to hit Zach a third time. As it swung toward him, Zach reached out and grabbed the bat mid-air, and twisted it sharply to the right. Janie gasped in pain and quickly let go, getting the message.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she shrieked, rubbing her aching wrists. Janie glanced around. "What did you do to Taylor?!" Janie resumed her former position, then remembered her main defense was gone. She decided, instead, to kick Zach in the shin repeatedly.

"Dammit, Janie, stop and listen for thirty seconds!" Zach shouted, trying to swing his legs out of the way. Janie didn't budge, so Zach picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She bludgeoned his back with her fists, so he dumped her on the couch, trying not to hurt her. Janie quickly got up, but Zach kept her down by putting his arm across her stomach.

"I didn't do anything to Taylor." Zach assured (or yelled at, depending on whom you asked) Janie, who looked at him skeptically. "After the funeral, I drove the two of you here. You probably wouldn't remember because you were out cold, and Taylor's account isn't reliable, as she got into the wine cellar. I drove her home and made sure she got in okay, and then came back here in case you woke up in the middle of the night. Got it?" Janie nodded, still glaring at Zach. Her body shook as she attempted to oppress the upcoming sobs, and Zach instantly felt bad for his outburst. "Oh God... I'm sorry Janie. I'm a complete idiot; please, don't get - " Janie interrupted him by releasing a load cry. Zach sighed, sitting on the couch next to Janie and wrapping his arms around her, waiting patiently for her to calm down.

Her sobs slowly, but surely, died down, finally becoming quiet sniffles. Janie wiped her eyes, and then looked up at Zach, who was still holding her. "What time is it?" she asked.

Zach glanced over at the clock on top of the T.V. "It's about 7:50; why do you ask?"

"You know we have band today at 7:00, right?"

Zach rolled his eyes. "Goddammit." He let go of Janie, who sprang up.

"I'm going to go get changed." she told him.

"And you expect me to wear this," he guestured toward the tear-soacked suit he still wore, "to practice? Where I have to march around?!"

Janie looked at Zach and sighed. "I guess you can use Mark's clothes." She finally decided hesitantly. "His room is upstairs, the second door on the right. And don't touch any of his other things!" Zach nodded, and followed the directions. He opened the door, and revealed a room with deep navy walls (all four of which were plastered with football posters, along with a few that made even Zach blush). He went into the walk-in closet, and chose a t-shirt and some cargo shorts. After putting on a nice pair of track shoes, Zach walked down the hallway to Janie's room.

"Janie?" he said, knocking on the door. He opened it, and saw a back view of Janie, who slipped on a tank-top. She turned, saw Zach, and smiled.

"Ready to go?" she asked, sitting on the bed to put on her sneakers. Her clothes were form-fitting, and Zach felt his face heat up.

"No, not yet." Zach said, going over to Janie. He bent over, and kissed her on the lips. She gasped, then slowly lifted her hands up to his face. Zach abruptly pulled back.

"Ready now?" Janie asked teasingly, her eyelashes fluttering.

"No, not yet." Zach repeated, giving her another kiss, this time on the cheek; then another on the neck; one more placed on her collarbone...

"Zach, stop." Janie said, sitting up.

"Alright." Zach said. "I'll cut it out." Janie looked confused, taken aback but Zach's uncharacteristic decision.

"Okay then... shall we go to band?" she asked.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Zach and Janie finally arrived fifteen minutes later, and both were horrified at their appearance. There hadn't been any time to fix themselves up, so now both looked more disheveled then the infamous hobo in the shopping center a few blocks away from he school. They frantically climbed out of the car and ran into the band room, panting with anxiety.

"Sorry I'm late!" Zach shouted from the percussion storage closet, "Traffic stunk!" Thankfully neither instructor was there, and the band director was outside, so everyone excused him. Then again, they almost had to, as he was their section leader, and therefore knew things about most of them that wouldn't want to be let out.

Janie's angry section leader, Maddie, turned to look at Janie. "And why are you an hour and a half late?" she asked, steam pouring out of her ears.

"Zach was my ride." Janie simply explained.

"I'll bet." Somebody snickered. A few giggles came from select people, and Janie's eyes filled with angry tears, although none fell.

"Craig, leave Janie alone." Maddie snapped. "I can sure bet she's had a hell of a lot worse week then you have." She bent down and picked up her purse, handing it over to Janie who was attempting to comb her fingers through her hair. "Go into the bathroom and clean yourself up." she whispered. Then she turned to address both sections, which she had taken over in Zach's absence.

"Okay, let's do part four of our show!" she shouted. Janie ran off, and Zach reentered the room.

"Max, where are my drumsticks?!" he asked his best friend.

"No clue." Max said, while unblinkingly playing a complicated solo. "Did you look in your stick bag?"

"Oh, right." Zach replied, seeing the bright purple sticking out of the Vic Furth bag. He squeezed between Max and another snare, and joined in part four.

"So what's up with you and Janie?" Max hissed to Zach, still playing. "You get together with her, you break up, and then you arrive in the band room looking like the hobo near the Giant? That doesn't give the best impression to people."

"It's a long story." Zach whispered back, staring straight ahead.

"Yeah, because just saying 'Hey, I fucked Janie like every other guy in this band has' counts as a long story."

"I didn't do anything like that!"

"You better not have." Max said. "Look, you're my best friend and all, but I don't want you hurting another girl. Either make a commitment, or break it off. Got it?"

"Who are you to tell me what to do?!"

"Who are you to bang the girls in this band more then the snare drum?!"

"Max and Zach, stop talking!" Maddie shouted from behind her marimba, turning to look over her shoulder. The four mallets in her hands kept on moving, and Zach couldn't help but think that she was something from another planet, despite the fact she was his friend.

"Sorry Maddie!" they both shouted, resuming their playing.

"Please Zach, just don't be an idiot like you normally are." Max begged.

"I won't this time, I promise."

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

It was the end of practice, finally, and Zach had locked the band room door. He heard a rustling in the general storage room for all the other instruments, so Zach went in, prepared to hypocritically break apart two love-struck sophomores; they were the only ones stupid enough to attempt something like that. Instead he saw Janie, who had somehow gotten underneath a pile of saxophones.

"How'd you get in this situation?" Zach laughed, picking up the cases one by one and sliding them into the locker.

"Truthfully, I went in here to think alone. Being the klutz that I am, I managed to trip and bump open a locker." She explained.

"You okay?" he asked, helping her up.

"Yep. No broken bones, no scratches; it's a miracle!" Janie laughed, but it sounded false and hollow to both their ears. She started to leave, but Zach grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Really, Janie, are you alright?" he asked. She turned her head to look at him and sighed.

"I'm not so sure." she admitted. "I miss Mark, and I'm not looking forward to coming home to an empty house."

"Do you want me to stay the night?" Zach asked sincerely. "My parents won't care."

"You'd do that?" Janie asked. Zach nodded, and she gave him a sad smile and a peck on the lips. "You're not as bad as everyone says."

"Neither are you." He replied, scooting a little closer to Janie. His head tilted slightly, and he slowly leaned in. There was a loud clicking of shoes on the band room floor, and he snapped his head back, a guilty look on his face. Natalie practically skipped into the storage closet, and kissed Zach roughly, as if claiming her territory.

"Hey Zach!" She half squealed, half screamed. She gave him another kiss, and Janie began edging away from the two of them, suddenly quiet.

"Natalie, stop." Zach said, unwrapping the arms that were clutching his neck. "We need to talk."

"Do we have to?" she whined, earning herself a disgusted look from Janie.

"Yes, we do." Zach said firmly. "Look, this whole relationship is being done for the wrong reasons."

"Is it?"

"Please stop Natalie, this isn't a joke. I don't think we should carry this out any longer. You're really nice, but I'm not the right guy for you."

"Wait, are you breaking up with me? AGAIN?!" Natalie asked loud enough to wake the dead.

"I'm sorry." Zach apologized. Natalie smiled sweetly, and then released a long string of curse words, fowl enough to make Janie wince slightly.

"... and I hope you rot in hell you asshole!" she shouted. She slammed her fist against his chest, and then stormed out.

"I haven't seen her that mad since third grade." Janie commented. "She had gotten detention for the first time in her preppy life. See, during recess, she -"

"You talk a lot." Zach interrupted. He bent down and kissed her, and suddenly all was right in the world.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Zach couldn't help but feel giddy in spite of himself. For the first time in about three years, he truly, deeply cared about a girl. Instead of wanting someone to fool around with for a night or two, Zach prayed that he'd have Janie for a heck of a lot longer time then that.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

Despite everything that had happened to the two of them, Janie especially, she couldn't help but feel for the first time in her life, all was right in the world; The only thing she wanted now was to stay in his arms forever.

.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.o0O0o.

And two hearts became one.

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**A****/N: And so, dear readers, the tale of Janie and Zach has come to an end (sob). I'd like to thank Closetbrilliance for reading and reviewing every single chapter of this story. I owe you big time!**

**I'd also like to thank all of my friends that don't own a fanfiction account who read this story anyway, and gave me feedback on it via email. I love you guys more then you all can imagine!**

**And one last thank you, I promise: I'd like to thank everyone else who favorited or added this story onto their alert list. Seeing so many emails in my inbox from fanfiction makes me all warm and happy inside. :-)**

**By the way...  
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**If you liked this story, then you should definitely read Closetbrilliance's stories From A to Brass (which is almost done also, sadly enough) and Sousaskirt. Both are great stories for the band geek and not-so-band geek alike. **

**(In a salesman voice) Want to know what happens to Zach and Janie after Janie's Got a Gun? Then wait no longer, and read Elemental! While the story doesn't focus mainly on them, they do have rather nice roles in this tale about alliances, romance, and indoor drumline. **

**Once again, thanks to everyone who read Janie's Got a Gun. **

**Your Champion Marimba player (more on that if you read Elemental, hehe), **

**The Sound of Drums**


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